After Enric Mas was ruled out of the Vuelta a España and the rest of the season due to thrombophlebitis, Movistar are set to be without two more big names at the Spanish Grand Tour – former winner Nairo Quintana and Fernando Gaviria.
Movistar team boss Eusebio Unzué revealed the news, speaking on Colombian sports radio network Antena 2, with Quintana ruled out due to needing more time to recover from a crash, and the lack of flat sprints doing for Gaviria’s chances.
“Nairo was one of the doubts, but we’ve ruled him out for the Vuelta. After his crash at the Vuelta a Burgos, the rider needs time to recover,” said Unzué on La Hora del Ciclismo, with Quintana pulling before stage 4, having crashed heavily a day prior.
“In this Vuelta a España, there are practically no more than three or four clear sprint finishes,” he added. “In fact, because of that, I don’t think there will be many sprinters; it’s a Vuelta with a lot of mountains. This is the main reason why Gaviria won’t be participating.”
It leaves Unzué without a wealth of options for his team’s home Grand Tour, with a team confirmation to come on Tuesday, four days ahead of the Vuelta’s start in Turin on Saturday. Only two of the eight sports were yet to be decided before this weekend, though.
“Next Tuesday, we’ll make the final decision on who’s chosen for the Vuelta. Although we already have a team roughly 80 per cent defined, there are a couple of riders we still have to make a decision on,” said Unzué.
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